Hello! I'm Slanted Fish, the editor-in-chief and creator of the Poptropica Help Blog (PHB). I'm a writer, Hong Kong native, and Christ follower. My Poptropica username is slantedfish ๐ Don't forget to be awesome!
Hey Poptropicans, it’s Slanted Fish here with a store update!
Not all of the items are pictured below, as most are already familiar from previous store rotations. But we also have a few new things in the mix:
In pranks, there’s a new Leprechaun Wand, which pairs well with the returning Leprechaun costume for St. Patrick’s Day this month. ๐
Among the miscellaneous items, we find a new toy: the Reversible Octopus. It’s a handheld item, and when you press space bar, it flips to one of its two modes, angry red or happy yellow! ๐
And in honor of Wild West being our Island Flash-back this month, I present to you my Poptropica pet kitty: El Mustachio Venti.
And in powers, you can now find Mood Clouds, which also comes in two modes: cheery white or melancholic gray. Whichever cloud you pick, it follows you above your head. (There’s me with a floating cloud on the new SpongeBob Island โ stay tuned for that update!)
Also, over on Home Island (the snowy version), I discovered a stage with arcade games. Talking to the character standing by will allow you to choose to go to the actual arcade, although the Blast-off Arcade is still on Home Island. But perhaps this is being tested for the new Home Island, which doesn’t have the arcade building? ๐ค
Anyway, you unfortunately don’t get to play “Tight Shot” and “Rumble Quake” (which seem to be art from PoptropiCon), and “Bot Breaker” comes from American Girl: Courtney’s Island, a former ad space. Just the usual arcade games in the arcade!
That’s it for this post. Keep on popping on, Poptropicans! โ๏ธ
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post by Emu, who will be offering a different point of view on a Poptropica story: who is the real villain in Arabian Nights Island? ‘Cause that Sultan is looking real suspicious. Enjoy!
Welcome to my first DPOV (or “deepawv” in my Southern accent)! This series takes a look at Poptropica plots and characters from a less heard of, non-traditional, different point of view.
Today we’ll be looking at Arabian Nights, a Poptropica tale where (spoilers) Samhal the genie and Scheherazade the princess-turned-thief are often thought of as the villains. But now, let’s turn the tables!
He’s just a poor mixed up sฬถoฬถuฬถlฬถ er, genie.
We’re going to look more closely at the Sultan. Now, I know many Pop fans have confirmed that the Sultan is a bad man, but oh, he’s a BAD bad man. Let’s get started. ๐ง Remember this diary entry from Scheherazade before she ran away from home?
I would read this book, would you?
So, after reading that, you can obviously tell that the Sultan has a HUGE greed problem. ๐ He has quite the obsession problem also. Plus I gotta say, it’s pretty shady of him to let his daughter get almost kidnapped while he was caught up with finding out the name of a little green man.
Why’d he even hang these?
Plus… HIS. POOR. WIFE. She must’ve gone through so much! She looks sooooo done with this in the family portraits! We never find out what happened to her, but I mean it’s reasonable to assume she just left! Sad.
Donโt hate me for what Iโm about to say.
Here’s my takeโget ready for itโI don’t think Samhal is bad. Are you glaring at that sentence? I get it, but here’s why I think the opposite.
The Sultan was an insanely greedy, self-centered, inconsiderate man, and I do believe that he bribed Samhal into dealing with him. Of course, by nature of his being, the genie did have no choice. We will never know what Samhal was like before the Sultan obsessed over tracking down this genie, and put his family on the line just to grow wealthy with his help. Besides, I think it’s pretty sad that even after the Sultan’s wife probably left, he still wasn’t scared of losing his daughter.
Had to include this!
Thanks for reading my first DPOV! What are your thoughts on this post? Drop your suggestions for another DPOV in the comments.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? Weโd love to hear from you! ๐ฐโจ
Hey Poptropicans, this is aย guest postย by Dangerous Dragon.ย Enjoy!
Hello, DD here! Today’s hot pop-topic is all about favorite islands. I’ll be sharing my “Pop 5” picks in this post, but I’m also looking forward to seeing your comments about some islands that you love. (The PHB has a whole list of islands.) Let’s get started!
I wished I could rank this island higher, but there are so many good ones. Anyway, the story starts out with a carnival needing your help, and the art really makes you feel likeย you are at a real carnival. At first I wonder, “where’s the monster part?” Then comes the delightful twist: they all are monsters, thanks to Ringmaster Raven! Scary!
It was very disappointing to see Raven tortured by his town. I wrote more about this in my other guest post, “Why Ringmaster Raven is a real hero.” The island could’ve been better if he’d gotten a better ending, with the town giving him some much-needed love. Still, the story is fascinating, the designs are impressive, and the difficulty is suitably challenging
Survival reminds me of survivor shows, andย I can feel the dangers of being out on the island as if in real life!ย The art is fabulous, and it’s good they don’t show too many ads, so it gives you the feeling of being stranded.
The story is truly chilling โ and what a twist to find that we are the hunted. Scary and surprising! All in all, a really good and challenging island.
Mocktropica reminded me of Back Lot Island but with games instead of films. The jokes were fun, and interestingly, one feature they made fun of made it into Pop: the pets!
As for the art, itย really feels exciting and adventurous. Everywhere you see Mega Fighting Bots and you wonder what’s up with that, but then you find out the twist โ shocking! The people running Pop were the people destroying it!
And the story itself is a unique, creative concept:ย you have to basically save Poptropica by bringing in the people who worked there to fix it. It’s also highly difficult โ I still remember Thinknoodles groaning when he played this island.
I loved how Mission Atlantis mixed fiction and nonfiction. It reminded me of the bookย Thea Stilton Special Edition: The Journey to Atlantis.
The first episode was simple, but it was fun getting to know many animals in the sea. The art is amazing: the creatures look very detailed, our submarine pod looks cool, and the water design is epic.
The story starts out with us getting a simple job but we soon discover much more: an entire ancient underwater city! Things get a lot more interesting, and it makes you feel likeย you are an explorer. It’s a difficult island, but that’s what makes the challenge fun.
Timeย Tangled was my first island,ย so I think of this as my birth island. It’s all about exploring the world, from caves to the Great Wall of China! This was the island which made me love Pop.ย I love stories about time traveling and the future!ย
The story is basic but it is creative. We find all the objects in random places, with hints from the Oracle, and overall it engages you in checking everywhere to search for the items. The art is really good too, and I enjoyed the Fact Monsters back when that was a thing. And the whole island really takes your attention, but it’s not too difficult, with no twist.
That’s my list, now what about yours? There are a lot more good islands but I prefer these. Anyway, tell me about your favorite islands!ย
And if you’re feeling especially passionate, try writing for the PHB! Writing is a good habit, especially when it’s about what you love. I love Poptropica, and look where I am now!ย Thank you to Jeff Kinney, because if he hadn’t created Poptropica, we wouldn’t be here.
Also, surprise: today is my birthday! If you want to help make it special, please share your ideas in the comments below on how to celebrate a pop-tastic birthday, Poptropica style!
A Poptropica cake is a great idea!
This is DD popping out! Keep popping, Poptropicans! ~DD
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested inย writing for the PHB? Weโd love to hear from you! ๐ฐโจ
Hey Poptropicans, a new Home Island is on its way! ๐ก
Yup, never mind that this base stop has been redesignedmultipletimes in the past several years. The latest Home Island remodel features a short side-quest, fewer buildings, and two blimps.
The Pop Creators posted sneak peeks on the official blog and said it was currently in beta testing and would be released to all soon, but you can access it right now by playing on a new account.
As for the side-quest, it begins immediately and is fairly quick. Catch what happens on our new Home Island Guide or in this video from idk:
You might remember those statues from an earlier sneak peek. When you first land on the island, Amelia Earhart (yes, she’s still here, and she has her own statue now!) gives you a Novice Adventurer Outfit.
The side-quest has you chase after a guy clomping about on giant robot legs for stealing the statue of the greatest Poptropica adventurer, Xavier, who has majestic squid hair. Turns out the guy is Xavier! He plans on retiring and gives you his cottage, which is your clubhouse. That’s it for “The Greatest” side-quest!
Back on the main street of the island, you can find the blimp is available on either side of the island, rather than in the middle. There are now just two buildings: Adventure Outfitters (i.e. the store rebranded) and your remodeled clubhouse. In the background, we can see blimps flying in the distance, as well as more homes on floating islands.
By the gate to your clubhouse’s backyard is a Poptropican crying for help โ it’s the mayor from 24 Carrot Island, who calls you to help his island. Maybe there’ll be a different character there in the future!
The menu has also been touched up. Instead of the crate, we get three lines in the top-right corner, which pulls up the menu items, now with text labels: Items, Map, Store, House, Friends, Arcade (which no longer has its own building!), Messages, Pets (now barn-less), and Settings.
Only a day into this beta release of the new Home Island, and there’s already fan art for the iconic Xavier! The Pop Creators even posted a doodle from @invisible_b0nes on their Instagram story:
That’s it for this post, but you can catch more about the new Home Island side-quest (including glamor shots of Xavier) over on our Home Island Guide! What do you think of this Home Island makeover? Was it time for a change, or are the Creators overplaying this first stop once again? Sound off in the comments and on the PHC, our Discord server!
Hello, Poptropica Help Blog readers! I’d love to share more details about Secret of the Jade Scarab Island. I kept the descriptions spoiler free, so that certain plot points remain a surprise. ๐
I had a ton of fun brainstorming for Secret of the Jade Scarab in between grading homework and writing lesson plans (I was in the middle of student teaching). I grew up playing games like Cluefinders and Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego, which gave me a love of games that teach about history. Ancient Egyptian lore and culture has always fascinated me, so it was awesome to have an excuse to use all that knowledge.
Sphinx from Nabooti Island
First look
Our story begins when the player arrives outside the Ancient Antiquities Museum in a bustling Egyptian city and follows signs inside to find that Claira the Curator is in a panic because the newest exhibit isnโt going to open on time. Sheโs lost contact with the team of archeologists who were supposed to be excavating King Khnurnโs tomb (his name means “reborn sun” in Egyptian). Being the kind, friendly, and helpful Poptropican that you are, you volunteer to go investigate.
Spelunky: At the end of our rope.
When you arrive in the village of Iteru (which means “river” in Egyptian), a local merchant points you in the direction of the archeological dig, where you meet Howard Diggory, head egyptologist. He explains that bizarre things have been happening at the dig and that there are rumors of a mummyโs curse, which has stalled progress in excavating and cataloging the tomb. Itโs up to you to find the root of the problem and discover whether or not the tomb really is cursed.
Egyptian tomb from Nabooti Island
Youโll explore the tomb and village, speaking to the locals and gaining their trust through various tasks. Befriending the merchant is a good place to start. She’ll tell you all about the legend of the Jade Scarab, said to give its owner untold power, but only if you help her translate some old scrolls and track down her great nephew for her. Could someone be after the scarab?
Featured locations include:
The Ancient Antiquities Museum in Cairo – a place filled with displays of famous ancient Egyptian artifacts. Players can learn about life in ancient Egypt and maybe find some easter eggs from other islands. I like to imagine that itโs owned by the Poptropica equivalent of Zahi Hawass – a very famous Egyptologist who has probably appeared in pretty much any documentary you may have watched on Egypt.
The village of Iteru – Close to the dig site. I envision something multi-levelled and filled with bright colors against the sandy/tan-ish color of the brick buildings. There are houses on the higher level and a market on the lower one. You can visit lots of townspeople to learn about the origins of the mummyโs curse, tomb robbers, the importance of the Nile, etc. In order to get them to answer your questions, you have to run errands for them such as potentially fishing, sailing, gathering papyrus, etc. The merchantโs shop is a highlight, as she gives the player a lot of the background on the Jade Scarab after you find her grandson (who is in an alleyway playing with a cat).
How Bazaar: Every time I look around.
The dig site – in the Valley of the Kings – lots of weird stuff is happening there, which has caused the locals to theorize that the team of archeologists have unleashed a curse. You can find typical archeologist tools, crates, tents, various artifacts that are being catalogued, and maybe a jeep. There are a few site members to interview, but several have fled, and one is in the hospital.
Camp Value: The Pup Tent sleep one
King Knurnโs Tomb – Either underground or inside a cliff. The Jade Scarab is supposedly hidden somewhere deep inside. The player can explore different parts of the tomb throughout the story, with some getting unlocked as they progress. Skills learned from the villagers (like reading hieroglyphics) can be used here to solve puzzles and gather more information about the legends surrounding the Jade Scarab.
Claira the Curator – Runs the Ancient Antiquities Museum and is worried about the museumโs latest exhibit not arriving on time. I chose her name because I wanted something with alliteration and a tie to Egypt, so I took the a-i-r from Cairo and inserted it into a name that went well with Curator.
The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo, Egypt (photo: MoMAA.org)
Howard Diggory – Head egyptologist of the archeological dig, worried about the recent mishaps and potential curse. Very passionate about Egyptology and uncovering lost history. He was named Howard after Howard Carter, who discovered King Tutโs tomb, and Diggory because heโs an archeologist and spends a lot of time digging.
Striking a blow for workers’ rights.
Awantagi – the foreman of the dig. Heโs the prickly type and doesnโt particularly like you sticking your nose where it doesnโt belong.
The Merchant – a mysterious old lady who sells a variety of objects (both ancient and modern). She tells the player the legend of the Jade Scarab after they have helped her translate some old scrolls (learn about Egyptian culture and book of the dead) and located her great nephew (who is chasing after a cat).
Bast – the Egyptian cat who likes to pop up and do cat stuff, like expect you to cater to her every whim.
Visuals
I am not the best of artists, but I do have some pictures from an old project I did for school that I used for inspiration.
I didnโt necessarily plan for a pyramid to appear in Secret of the Jade Scarab, but I do really like the concept of having a scene that shows the Nile and some Egyptian boats.
This is sort of what Iโd like the market to look like. Bright colors, hieroglyphics, and an abundance of different objects for players to interact with.
Anyway, thank you SO much to the PHB for reaching out, and to all of you for your interest! Itโs such an honor to be able to share some of the ideas that have been floating around in my head for the past three months. I honestly can’t wait to see where Poptropica goes with this!
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? Weโd love to hear from you! ๐ฐโจ
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